The present invention relates to corrugated fiberboard and more particularly to a system for easily separating a corrugated fiberboard panel.
Corrugated containers are widely used for shipping various products to retail distributors. The retail distributor prefers a shipping container that can be neatly and easily opened and then used as a display carton. Thus, the manufacturers of shipping containers have incorporated various container-opening systems into the containers during their manufacture. One such system employs a stitched-in rip cord in a corrugated container. The rip cord uses two strings which are stitched or sewn together through all three layers of the corrugated material. The rip cord severs the container into two sections as the stitching is pulled from the container. However, the resulting two sections have ragged edges which are not suitable for a display carton.
Other container-opening systems utilize tear tapes. Some corrugated containers are made in two sections and the sections are joined together in various ways at a taped butt joint. When the tape joint is severed, the two sections of the container can be separately utilized. However, such containers are expensive and inconvenient to manufacture. It is also necessary to interrupt the corrugating process to replace the tape rolls. In addition, these containers tend to be weakened at the corner butt joint and occasionally the containers fail during their shipment. Various other container-opening systems employ tear tapes of varying widths. One such system, which employs two pressure sensitive tapes, is difficult to apply properly. The tape joints often require a fair amount of force to remove and the containers are thus difficult to open. In addition, removing the tape also results in ragged edges on the display cartons.
Other corrugated container-opening systems employ a tear strip, which is formed by perforating or precutting various ones of the inner liner, outer liner and corrugated medium. However, such a tear strip also leaves a ragged edge on its removal and tends to weaken the shipping container in which it is incorporated.
Thus, a need exists for an improved system for opening a corrugated fiberboard container that overcomes the problems of known systems.
The present invention satisfies this need with a system for separating a corrugated fiberboard panel along a separation line. A corrugated fiberboard panel has an inner liner and an outer liner with a corrugated medium sandwiched therebetween. At least two spaced-apart strings are located in the panel beneath the outer liner. The strings are located on opposite sides of a separation line defined on the panel. A pull tab is located in the outer liner, and is connected to at least one of the strings such that when the pull tab is pulled away from said panel and transverse to the separation line at least one of the strings cuts through at least a portion of the panel, and at least one of the other strings acts as a guide to define the location of the cut. The system is economical to produce and is readily incorporated in the corrugated fiberboard during its manufacture. It is also a reliable system that is easy to use.
According to another aspect of the invention, a container includes a body having a side panel interconnecting a first end panel and a second end panel. The body includes a first liner, a second liner, and a corrugated medium located therebetween. A first string extends transversely of the side panel between the first end panel and the second end panel and is located in the side panel on the second liner. The first string has a graspable end. A second guide string is located in the side panel on the second liner in spaced-apart relationship to the first string. The second string lacks a graspable end. This corrugated container thus includes a container-opening system which avoids weakening the shipping container and which is operable to transform the container into a display carton having a smooth neat edge.